Converted high roof Volkswagen Crafter caters for all Zenith’s roadshow needs.

• Converted high roof Crafter caters for all Zenith’s roadshow needs
• Vehicle chosen for its size, load capacity and blank canvas for conversion
• Crafter provides Zenith with ‘substantial point of difference’ from other vendors

Leading UK independent vehicle leasing and fleet management provider Zenith has turned to Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles to provide an innovative solution for its mobile exhibition requirements. 

Working in close partnership with Zenith, Volkswagen helped deliver a fully-converted Volkswagen Crafter CR35 LWB high roof which is capable of providing a mobile display unit, allowing Zenith to engage with its customer base at roadshow events.

The Crafter not only provides Zenith with a means of transportation to each event, but also gives the firm a ‘stand-out’ advantage over other exhibitors. Equipped with additional seating, on-board computers and display screens, Zenith uses the bespoke space to demonstrate the benefits of its ‘MyCar Salary Sacrifice Scheme’ and provide instant quotes for potential customers, all from the comfort of the fully converted vehicle.

The Crafter’s size and load capacity were key reasons for Zenith selecting the vehicle for its roadshows. Providing a highly flexible body for conversions, the Crafter is available with three wheelbases, four body lengths, three roof heights and the ability to carry items of up to 4.7m long, plus a cargo area of up 17m².

Working with Volkswagen to specify the Crafter CR35 with long wheelbase and high roof, Zenith selected a variety of aftermarket options to transform the van into a vehicle that can cater for all its roadshow needs. Providing an ideal base, the Crafter features optional air conditioning, additional storage for Zenith’s marketing materials and striking full vehicle wrap displaying MyCar Salary Sacrifice branding.

Zenith has provided outsourced, end-to-end vehicle management solutions for mid to large nationwide companies for over 25 years, delivering innovative and intelligent vehicle solutions to any employee base, whether that's funding company cars or commercial vehicles, providing flexible benefit schemes, or delivering fully outsourced fleet management services.

Ian Hughes, Commercial Director at Zenith, said: ‘We chose to work with Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles due to the strength of our existing relationship and the partnership approach that they have taken with us. ‘The presence of the fully converted Crafter has provided Zenith with a substantial point of difference from the other vendors at the roadshow events that we attend. The van has helped create awareness with potential salary sacrifice drivers and increase the take-up rate of our scheme.’

USA - Ford's Transit to be delivered by rail, in new innovative railcars.

• Innovative new railcar for vehicle shipping accommodates the variety of Ford Transit roof heights
• Optimized mix of rail and truck transport provides the most efficient delivery time and lowest shipping cost, and supports Ford’s Blueprint for Sustainability by using resources responsibly and minimizing environmental impact
• All-new Ford Transit offers a best-in-class range of vehicle configurations and will be available at U.S. and Canadian dealerships this summer

Ford Motor Company is taking a new approach to shipping its all-new full-size Transit cargo vans and wagons to Ford dealerships across North America.

The high-roof Transit measures 110.1 inches tall and offers best-in-class interior cargo height when properly equipped, enabling customers as tall as 6 feet 4 inches looking to stand upright in their vehicles, but it also challenged Ford engineers to develop an innovative vehicle shipping solution.

Ford ships vehicles from its assembly plants to dealerships using a mix of railcars and trucks. The new medium- and high-roof Transit vehicles are too tall to fit in the common two-story railcars used by auto manufacturers, so Ford engineers worked with railroads and railcar manufacturers to design an innovative railcar that accommodates all the roof-height variations of the new Transit.

“Use of these modified railcars helps us to efficiently ship these large vehicles from our assembly plant, deliver them to our dealers and get them into the hands of our customers faster and more cost effectively,” said Chris Lemmink, Ford vehicle logistics manager.

The innovation allows Ford to ship Transit vehicles through the right mix of rail and truck transport to help reduce delivery time and cost. The company evaluated using trucks only, but determined that it could deliver Transit vehicles more efficiently and for less cost by designing modified railcars and incorporating them into the shipping network.

The optimized balance of rail and truck transport also supports Ford’s Blueprint for Sustainability by using resources responsibly and minimizing environmental impact.

Ford plans to transport Transit vehicles by truck to its dealers within a 500-mile radius of the Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Missouri, where Transit is produced. Shipments traveling longer than 500 miles will be transported by rail.

Ford worked with leading rail companies to modify Transit railcars by elevating its inner deck, enabling as many as seven medium- and high-roof Transit vehicles to be loaded on the lower deck and as many as seven smaller vehicles, like the Ford Fusion, on the shorter top deck, depending on the vehicle’s length. The overall height of the railcar remains the same as traditional railcars, so as not to interfere with overpasses and tunnels.

Ford expects approximately 50 percent of Transit orders will be medium- and high-roof configurations.

Ford began working on the railcar project in 2010, coinciding with development of the all-new 2015 Transit.

All-new Ford Transit

In the United States, Transit eventually will replace America’s best-selling van for 35 years, E-Series, which was first sold in 1961 as Ford Econoline. E-Series vans and wagons still will be available and sold side by side with Transit into this calendar year, providing a seamless transition for Ford customers. Additionally, E-Series cutaway and stripped chassis will continue to be built and sold through most of the rest of the decade.

Transit was introduced in Europe in 1965, and has been the best-selling commercial van in the United Kingdom for 49 years. The vehicle is sold in 118 markets on six continents.

The high-roof Transit – with best-in-class 81.5 inches of maximum interior cargo height – provides enough headroom for a person 6 feet 4 inches tall to stand upright in the cargo area.

Transit van offers as much as 487 cubic feet of cargo volume and 4,650 pounds of maximum payload capacity – more than competing vans from General Motors and Chrysler. Transit delivers a maximum towing capacity of 7,500 pounds.

In some configurations, Transit offers as much as 75 percent more cargo volume than the largest E-Series, helping customers save fuel costs and time associated with having to make a second trip. Maximum payload increases more than 600 pounds across the lineup versus comparable E-Series vans.

Transit will be available in van, wagon, chassis cab and cutaway body styles; in three body lengths and two wheelbases for van and wagon, along with three roof heights; with a standard 3.7-liter V6, available 3.5-liter EcoBoost^® and available 3.2-liter Power Stroke^® diesel engine; and in XL and XLT trim levels, offering more choices than ever from a Ford commercial van.